Civil War

The white Maltese cross represents the insignia of the 2nd Division V Army Corps in which the regiment served 1862-64. The pitchfork and sheaf of wheat allude to the Devil’s Den and the Wheatfield at Gettysburg.

The forerunner of the 16th Infantry, the 1st Battalion, 11th U.S. Infantry, fought in almost every major campaign of the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. During that conflict, the regiment earned 12 campaign streamers and engaged in numerous battles and skirmishes. In almost every major battle, the 11th US Infantry was in the thick of the fighting, and as part of Major General George Sykes’ divison of Regular Army regiments, the 2nd Division, V Army Corps, it was responsible for helping to avert destruction of that Army on several occasions. Arguably the regiment’s most significant action was that of Gettysburg on 2 July 1863 when it lost almost half its strength in the fighting to help stop Longstreet’s Confederates from taking Little Round Top and rolling up the Army of the Potomac’s left flank. Provided in these galleries are images of the men who laid the foundation for making the 16th Infantry one of the finest regiments in history and of locations where they built that reputation.

The National Color of the 1st Battalion, 11th US Infantry. This, and the battalion color, below were the first set of colors under which the Regiment fought. They were carried in every major battle of the Army of the Potomac from Gaines Mill forward.

The Regimental Color of the 1st Battalion, 11th US Infantry. This set of colors was presented to the Regiment at Perryville, MD, by the family of Major DeLancey Floyd-Jones. They are now held at the museum of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY.